Understanding Down Syndrome

Down syndrome is a common genetic disorder that is present from birth. It results in developmental delays that are caused by the presence of extra genetic material. It has an impact on both mental and physical development.

Each human cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes; half of each pair comes from our mother and the other half comes from our father. Those with Down syndrome have an extra 21st chromosome. For this reason, Down syndrome is also referred to as Trisomy 21.

While the disorder can be detected before a child is born, it cannot be prevented. According to the World Health Organization, the genetic disorder occurs in approximately one in every 1,000 to one in every 1,100 live births worldwide. The distinguishing physical characteristics of Down syndrome include a flat face and short neck, as well as eyes that are slightly slanted. Mild to moderate learning disabilities and low muscle tone in infancy are also typically present.

Other health conditions can be associated with Down syndrome, including heart defects, leukemia, early onset of Alzheimer’s disease, and gastro-intestinal problems. Some of the medical problems linked to Down syndrome, like hearing problems or thyroid problems can be treated or corrected.

The positive news is that life expectancy for those with Down syndrome has increased greatly over the last few decades due to improved medical care.

The individual’s physical and intellectual needs, strengths and limitations determine the type of treatment provided. In most cases, care is provided by several health care professionals, including physicians, special educators, speech and occupational therapists, and physical therapists. A dietician may be consulted if a Down syndrome patient has digestive problems.

As with autism spectrum disorder, early intervention – when professional care is given from an early age – can lead to improved outcomes for children with Down syndrome. The intervention can begin shortly after birth.

Down syndrome is named after Dr. John Langdon Down, the English doctor who first categorized the common features of those who have the condition.

A board-certified psychiatrist who trained in Stanford University Hospital and Clinics, Dr Leena Khanzode is trained in both adult and child & adolescent psychiatry. Dr Khanzode is also an adjunct clinical faculty member in the Child and Adolescent Division, School of Medicine, Stanford University.

Dr. Khanzode provides quality,evidence-based treatment to help individuals and families overcome difficulties and lead happier, more productive lives. She believes in a holistic approach to addressingpatient concerns through careful evaluation and psychotherapy and medication management. She offers treatment, including both psychotherapy and medication management, for a wide variety of psychiatric disorders for children, adolescents and adults. Treatments provided include Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT), Interpersonal therapy (IPT), Mindfulness-based psychotherapy,family therapy and parent training.

Dr. Khanzode has a special interest in mood disorders, anxiety disorder, ADHD and training of parents with kids who have been diagnosed with ADHD. She is experienced in managing pediatric bipolar disorder, due to the privilege of an extensive clinical and research experience in the Pediatric Mood Disorders Clinic at Stanford.

Dr. Khanzode has trained in psychiatry in India and the USA.With training from both the West and the East, she has developed a broad cultural perspective combined with a healthy respect for the biological dimension of psychiatry.

Job Description:

We are currently seeking a speech therapist with two to three years of experience to assist in providing speech therapy interventions for our home-based program. Additional responsibilities are listed below.

Conduct new case assessments and create therapy plans

Coordinate with other members of Mom’s Belief’s multi-disciplinary clinical team

Maintain records and share with other members of the team when required

Develop protocols for assessment, treatment and management and assist in their implementation

Guide and train other staff members in speech therapy planning

Create and modify resources and manuals

Participate in other activities on an as-needed basis – case perspective areas

Job type: Full-time

Job location: Gurgaon

Required education: Masters / bachelor’s degree in speech therapy.

Experience:Minimum two to three years relevant experience in speech therapy.

Required languages: English & Hindi (other Indian languages also helpful).

We are currently seeking an occupational therapist with two to three years of experienceto assist in providing occupational therapy interventions for our home-based program. Additional responsibilities are listed below.

Provide occupational therapy interventions for home-based program

Assess cases for the required interventions

Provide functional assessment and management

Identify long-term and short-term goals and evaluate accordingly on monthly and quarterly basis, as per the home program

Guide and train other staff members in OT planning

Provide training for programresources to parents or caregivers

Create and modifyresources and manuals

Fabricate assistive devices according to needs of the cases

Document and maintain records

Assist in implementing and standardizing treatment and assessment protocols

Participate in other activities on an as-needed basis – case perspective areas

Job description: We are currently seeking interns who are interested in child psychology. The intern will perform supervised individual and group activities based on creative and innovative insights. He / she may perform other related tasks that are a part of the team objectives. Work is supervised by professional staff. This internship has three programs, which will provideexposure to different approaches and perks to the intern.

Internship Programs:

6 months and above: Internship for 6 months or more will get you certification (Including completion certificate, experience certificate and letter of recommendation based on performance).
Stipend: 8,000 / month(Based on Knowledge)

3 months to 6 months: Internship for 3 months or more will get you experience certificate (Including certificate of completion).
Stipend: 4,000 / month(Based on Knowledge)

Less than 3 months: Internship for less than 3 months will get you completion certificate for the internship. Letter of recommendation will be issued upon work performance.Stipend: 2,000 to 3,000 / month (Based on Knowledge)

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. To assist in the on-going research in the field of psychology(general) and child psychology(specific)
2. To assess and analyze the case papers and reports and deliver the results to the maximum.
3. To utilize the available resources and help enhance the results for the development in the specific research area.
4. Main emphasis on delivering the assigned work in the prescribed timeline.
5. Participates in supervision and training with openness to learning and receiving feedback.

Mom’s Belief currently seeks a CRM Lead for Outbound Sales. Candidates should have 6+ years of business experience in a call center handling sales / outbound campaign, with 3+ yearsof demonstrated leadership and team management experience preferred.

Understand the Mom’s Belief program and how it can help children diagnosed with developmental disabilities, so you can help parents understand how the program can help them and their child.

Take calls from parents and professionals, and contact parents who have indicated an interest in the program through social media or other information sources.

Record outbound call history and Parents response in detail.

Respond to parents’ inquiries and resolve.

To manage and Lead 6-8 program guide on floor. The position holder will be responsible to achieve Team Collection & Individual targets on monthly basis.

Developing strategies to guarantee success and growth. Developing and maintaining relationships within the Clients (Parents)

Experience: 6+ years of business experience in call center handling sales / outbound campaign.
Preferred 3+ year demonstrated leadership and team management experience. Must have experience managing a stressful and ever-changing environment.

We are currently seeking several child psychologists (MA or MPhil Psychology) with at least one year of experience at a child care and development facility (hospital, private centers, special need centers, or schools).

Plan, organize, and assign activities that are specific to each student’s abilities.

Teach and mentor students as a class, in small groups and one-on-one.

Assess students’ skills to determine their needs and to develop teaching plans.

JoinMom’s Belief to be part of a very special program that empowers the parents of special needs children. We give parents guidance and resources that they can use at home to help their child. Mom’s Belief Program Guides play a very important role by helping parents understand the program and encouraging them to try it.

Understand the Mom’s Belief program and how it can help children diagnosed with developmental disabilities, so you can help parents understand how the program can help them and their child.

Take calls from parents and professionals, and contact parents who have indicated an interest in the program through social media or other information sources.

Record outbound call history and parents’ responses in detail.

Ensure customer follow-up at all times.

Handle parents’ needs and requirements.

Respond to parents’ inquiries and resolve them.

Refer parents’ needs or inquiries to appropriate departments like clinical, administrative or other departments.

At all times, handle information provided by parents and professionals with confidentiality, sensitivity and respect. A failure to do so constitutes grounds for dismissal.

Show compassion, patience and respect for the privacy of program participants

We are currently seeking an assistant manager for digital (social media) marketing with three to four years of experience to guide the development and execution of social media campaigns, lead acquisition strategies and the overall digital marketing of our program for special needs children. An energetic self-starter and quick learner who can multi-task is preferred. Additional responsibilities are listed below.

Day-to-day management of the brand’s social media accounts, including Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and others, in keeping with the overall marketing goals and objectives of the organization.

Apply an understanding of the brand, its USPs and its target audience(s) in all aspects of social media marketing and ensuring consistent messaging across all social media platforms and tools.

Conceptualizeand execute social media campaigns for the brand, in collaboration with other departments within the organization.

Lead the acquisition of customers / leads in the digital space and use digital tools to support other departments’ lead acquisition activities.

Source content for social media accounts, managing queries in a timely manner and coordinating with other departments for follow up.

Guiding the development of creative visuals – including photographic and video – for use on digital platforms.

Working closely with other teams to track the effectiveness of campaigns and maximize their performance to achieve optimal ROI.

Dr. Veena Kalra serves as Senior Consultant, Pediatric Neurology, at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi. She brings over 40 years of experience and has been widely recognized for her contributions in the field. Dr. Kalra was formerly Professor and Head of the Pediatrics Department at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Dr. Kalra has won multiple awards for her work, including awards from three Presidents of India, the Sorell Katherine Research Award, Pfizer Gold Medal and Asian Research Award. She was also awarded the Swasth Bharat Samman by Zee TV and LIC for her contribution to pediatrics.

One of Dr. Kalra’s most important contributions is the role she played in introducing pediatric neurology as a sub-specialty in India. She has authored books, monographs and more than 35 chapters in national and international books and has guided nearly 50 theses. Dr. Kalra has also participated in over 60 research projects in child neurology, liver disease in children, genetics and in-born errors of metabolism. She has published more than 230 original research papers in national and international journals.

She is a Nominated Member of the Membership Advisory Committee and Education Committee of the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA).She has been a Fellow in the National Academy of Medical Sciences, an active member of the Child Neurology Society, USA, and a Fellow in the Indian Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Kalra received her MBBS from Delhi University and an MD from AIIMS.

Dr. Manju Mehta

Dr. Manju Mehta is a professor and consultant to Holy Family Hospital; she was formerly head of the Child and Adolescent Clinic, Department of Psychiatry at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). She brings 40 years of experience in clinical work, teaching and research, as well as expertise in psychological assessment and the management of a variety of psychological disorders in children, adolescents and adults.

Dr. Mehta has served as adjunct faculty at the Centre of Medical Education Technology, AIIMS, an examiner for courses at various universities, and a member of selection and screening committees for several prestigious institutes and organizations. She is a consultant to the Delhi Public School Society.

Dr. Mehta also served as president of the Indian Association of Clinical Psychology, the Indian Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health and the Indian Society for Pain Research and Therapy. She was a member of the planning and monitoring committee at the National Institute for Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) Bangalore and an advisory committee member at the Central University of Hyderabad & Patna and the Centre for Cognitive Sciences, Allahabad University.

Dr. Mehta has designed and standardized a range of psychological tests including a psychoticism questionnaire, a stressful life events scale, a coping strategy scale, a daily hassles scale and a test for the physical manifestation of stress.

She has developed course curricula in the fields of clinical psychology, counselling psychology, family therapy and behavioral sciences for universities such as Tribhuvan Teaching University – Kathmandu (Nepal); B.P. Koirala Institute – Dharan (Nepal); Central University – Patna; Tata Institute of Social Sciences – Mumbai; and Indira Gandhi National Open University – Delhi.

Dr. Mehta has won multiple awards, including the Govindaswamy Memorial Gold Medal for Distinction in DM & SP, NIMHANS, Bangalore; the Kang Oration award for recognition of contribution to the field of Clinical Psychology; a Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Conference on Multi-Disciplinary Healthcare at AIIMS; and Best Clinical Psychologist Award by Delhi Association of Clinical Psychologists.

Dr. Mehta earned a master’s degree in psychology at Kanpur University, DM & SP (formerly a master’s in philosophy) from NIMHANS, Bangalore, and a PhD from PGIMER, Chandigarh. She also received training in rational emotive behavior therapy from the Albert Ellis Institute, New York, USA and in medical educational technology from Dundee, UK.

Dr. Roma Kumar

A clinical psychologist with nearly 30 years of experience, Dr. Kumar has been a senior consultant at Max Hospital, (Gurgaon) since April 2012 and at the Institute of Child Health, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, (New Delhi) since 1991. In 1994, she established the Child Development Clinic and a High-Risk Newborn Clinic at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where she has played an integral role in its teaching and research programs.

Many schools have benefited greatly from Dr. Kumar’s work with children, adolescents and families on issues related to growth and development. She has set up three special schools; established a resource room and an integrated section for students at a Moradabad school; and developed admissions procedures and camps for several schools. Dr. Kumar has conducted parent and teacher training seminars and workshops in various mental health issues.

Dr. Kumar has been a visiting faculty at the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) and Amity University. She also works closely with Indira Gandhi National Open University [IGNOU] in developing curriculum for its distance learning (bachelor of education) program in learning disabilities. She is associated with the Delhi Council for Child Welfare, along with various central and state education boards.

Dr. Kumar is chairperson of the Association for Development of Multiply Handicapped Children and holds the title of secretary for both Action Dyslexia Delhi – Beyond Education and the Vatsalya Education and Cultural Society. She is a life member of many national and international scientific organizations that work for child and adolescent mental health. She also has many national and international research publications to her credit.

Mentoring has been a critical part of her career as a psychologist and dozens of students have gained immeasurably from her knowledge and expertise. She has been a co-guide to many students of the Diplomate of National Board – Paediatrics in the field of Child Clinical Psychology and each year she trains many undergraduate and post-graduate students from Delhi University, Amity University, Christ University, Bangalore and SNDT University, Mumbai.

Dr. Kumar earned a psychology (Hons.) from Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University, a master’s degree in applied psychology from South Campus, Delhi University, and a PhD from Delhi University. Her doctoral research is in learning disabilities.

Dr. Sapna Zarwal

Dr. Zarwal is highly knowledgeable in the areas of training, assessment, curriculum planning and policy-making, specialized remedial education, and therapies for children with special needs.

Dr. Zarwal has also operated her own multi-disability center – D Potential Kidz – which was recognized as the Most Promising Multi-Disability Clinic in 2015-2016.

She has led more than 100 training sessions, workshops and conferences across India, covering topics such as learning styles, emotional intelligence, classroom management, discipline, learning disabilities, and ADHD, among others.

Dr. Zarwal also promotes awareness of special needs through her Potential Children Trust, which helps teachers and parents recognize and understand special needs.

She is a panelist with the Anokhi Club, an initiative led by Star Plus and the Hindustan Newspaper to empower India’s youth. Dr. Zarwal has also published papers in Yatra and through Macmillan Publishers.